She lulled him to sleep on her lap. Then she called in a man, and she had him cut off the seven locks of his head; thus she weakened him and made him helpless: his strength slipped away from him. She cried, ‘Samson, the Philistines are upon you!’And he awoke from his sleep, thinking he would break loose and shake himself free as he had the other times. For he did not know that the Lord had departed from him. The Philistines seized him and gouged out his eyes. (Judges 16:19-21)    
Rembrandt has chosen to depict Samson’s brutal capture. Deceived by Delilah, Samson is seized by the Philistines, who have pinned him to the floor and gouged out his eyes, which gush with blood. His convulsing right leg points in the direction of the doorway where Delilah, holding Samson’s locks and the shears, delights in her conquest. The chiaroscuro of the picture focuses not only on the captured giant but also on the escape hatch from which he has been mercilessly barred. It is instructive to compare this canvas portrait with the one entitled ‘Samson and Delilah’ (Berlin Gemäldegalerie der Staatlichen Museen, 1628), in which Rembrandt is more loyal to the biblical text; there, Delilah summons a Philistine to shear Samson’s locks, whereas, in this canvas, Rembrandt has collapsed the narrative and portrayed Delilah with Samson’s locks and shears in hand.

The Book of Judges spans the gap between the entry of the Israelites into the land of Israel under the able leadership of Moses’ heir Joshua and the period of the kings described in the Books of Samuel and Kings. The leaders portrayed in Judges represent a remarkably diverse group. With the notable exception of Deborah, the title of ‘judge’ ascribed to these characters does not reflect their juridical roles but rather their accomplishments as saviors of the Jewish people. The choice of leaders is most surprising. Gideon, for example, is the youngest son of a poor farmer in a weak clan, while Yiftah is the son of a prostitute. But perhaps the most unlikely judge is the Herculean Samson. His exploits seem to be not acts of national dedication, rather an expression of his impetuousness, and to have been brought about mainly by his involvement with Philistine women. Although his actions are heroic, they are not exactly indicative of moral rectitude, and hardly seem designed for the edification and salvation of the people of Israel.

The Rabbis of the Mishnah indeed hold Samson accountable for his lascivious nature; they propose that since he followed his roving eyes, his own eyes were gouged out.

What may serve to elucidate the choice of leadership during this period is not to view the judges simply as leaders, but as paradigms of the people of Israel. Samson is one such example.

The Book of Judges is built around a recurrent theme: Israel does evil, God is angry, He raises up enemies to punish them, they repent, a judge is chosen to save them, ushering in a brief period of peace, followed by a repeat performance of the entire cycle.

Kenneth R. R. Gros Louis suggests that Samson epitomizes this cycle:

He, like Israel, is a special child of God. He also is, like Israel, immature, opportunistic, rash. His weakness for women culminates in the loss of strength through the wiles of Delilah – like Israel; he has played the harlot once too often. He is enticed, as Israel is enticed, the source of his strength is taken from him, as God, the strength of Israel removes Himself to punish the Israelites; he is overcome, bound, and subdued, as Israel is sold into the power of her enemies and driven into the hills and mountains. Samson’s blindness seems to symbolize and crystallize the blindness of Israel when it gives in to temptation and weakness and does evil in the sight of the Lord. Samson suffers literally the darkness which the Israelites suffer figuratively when they turn away from God and are forced to live in caves and dens, when their highways are unoccupied, their villages empty. But as the strength and favor of God are renewed repeatedly to the Israelites, so Samson’s God-given strength returns in a natural manner; indeed, so natural is the return – The hair of his head began to grow again after it had been shaved – that it suggests like the coming of dawn after night how natural it is for God to give Israel new strength against its enemies.

Although Samson himself meets a brutal end, his saga serves as an inspirational model for the people of Israel. God will not utterly abandon them in their time of greatest need. He will overlook their blind spots, renew their sources of strength, and bring them unexpected salvation.

1. Mishna Sotah 1:8.

2. Kenneth R.R. Gros Louis, “The Book of Judges”, pp. 161-162 in Literary Interpretations of Biblical Narratives (Nashville, 1982).